On this day, the entire Kenji Squad was annihilated. Jiraiya was severely injured, and Sakumo lost an arm.
Since the start of the Third Great Ninja War, this was Konoha's first major defeat on the battlefield.
More and more shinobi gathered at the Konoha encampment. Minato returned with Kakashi, each staying close to either Jiraiya or Sakumo's side.
Shikaku quickly organized the chunin and genin to haul out the Chakra Diffusion Cannons from the supply depot and position them at the camp's entrance just in case the enemy decided to press their advantage.
Akio, meanwhile, was helplessly trying to calm Nawaki down.
He had thought Tsunade would need more comfort, but after a moment of silence, she pulled herself together and threw herself into healing the wounded. In an emergency evacuation, injuries were inevitable.
"Kenji… as a father, you really did care more for your lover and younger brother. Tsunade doesn't even show the slightest trace of hemophobia… That's one less thing to worry about. Well then, see you again in twenty years, perhaps."
Akio whispered softly to Kenji's corpse.
It took a long while before Nawaki finally wiped his tears away and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Great-grandfather, let's take Father back to Konoha and bury him there."
Akio nodded, then shook his head.
"Tomorrow. We still have time. It's too late today."
"Also, gather the Senju clansmen. Have them withdraw from the front lines first. They should all attend Kenji's funeral… as well as the others who fell."
The Senju had taken particularly heavy losses this time.
Aside from Kenji, the six elite members of his squad had all perished as well.
Glancing at Nawaki, Akio sighed.
"Dōzan, gather our clansmen."
"Yes, Great Elder!" Dōzan responded immediately.
Akio nodded with satisfaction.
"He's matured quite a bit over the years, not the reckless boy who nearly got his brother killed back in the Second War."
Afterward, Akio joined Tsunade and the medical-nin in treating the wounded.
By the time the moon hung high, every injured shinobi had been stabilized.
"Go get some rest, Tsunade. Tomorrow, we'll escort Kenji's body back to Konoha."
Tsunade hesitated, sorrow flashing across her face.
"I'll stay with Father a little longer."
Akio almost offered the usual comfort "The dead cannot…" but suddenly stopped himself and changed his words.
"The dead… might not necessarily stay dead. Perhaps you'll see him again one day."
Tsunade froze, caught off guard. Akio chuckled.
"Go on. Get some rest."
"Lord Hokage!"
A series of shouts echoed from outside.
Akio paused, he hadn't expected Hiruzen himself to rush here after hearing the news.
Dust-covered and weary, Hiruzen entered the camp. Upon seeing Akio and then Tsunade, who was unharmed, he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Elder Akio."
Akio nodded.
"Go see Kenji. Tomorrow, I'll escort his remains back to Konoha with the Senju clan… and Sakumo as well."
He thought for a moment perhaps Danzo could help with Sakumo's arm. But for now, Sakumo was in no condition to fight again anytime soon.
"Sakumo?" Hiruzen blinked. He'd rushed here as soon as he heard of Kenji's fall, leaving everything else to Danzo, he hadn't even heard that Sakumo had been injured.
Akio didn't explain. He simply let Hiruzen see for himself, then turned to Shikaku.
"Arrange me a tent. I need to rest."
He was exhausted, physically and mentally.
"The future keeps changing…"
Lying inside the tent, Akio sighed softly, recalling the events in Roran.
If Sara hadn't said that boys liked tall and powerful puppets, he wouldn't have gone to Sunagakure to build Optimus Prime. The Sand Village wouldn't have gained two secret weapons. And Kenji… might still be alive.
"In the end, the fault lies with me. What did I ever do to deserve this… And Sunagakure, Chiyo, huh?"
With that thought, Akio drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Akio and a group of Senju ninja along with Sakumo and Kakashi began escorting Kenji's body back to Konoha.
Tsunade walked silently among them.
Along the road, Akio swept his gaze over the group and frowned.
"Only around twenty Senju left on the battlefield?"
Nawaki's voice was subdued.
"There were a bit more than thirty before."
"That's still far too few…" Akio murmured, surprised. The Senju compound back in Konoha was practically half-empty already.
"Our numbers have really thinned out."
Tsunade walked up beside him, hesitated, then motioned for Nawaki to move farther away.
"Great-grandfather, there's something wrong with the clan. Our numbers are shrinking year by year."
Akio frowned, gesturing for her to continue.
"Since Grandfather Hashirama's generation, our clan's fertility has been steadily declining especially in our generation…"
Her face flushed slightly as she added,
"Nawaki is the only one with a child and that was only thanks to your medicine."
Akio's eyes widened. Now that she mentioned it, he realized he hadn't seen a single Senju child in years.
"That's impossible…" he thought.
This wasn't some cultivation world where power limited reproduction.
With the Senju's vitality, they should have no problem producing heirs. Look at the Uzumaki, slightly weaker physically, yet after Akio encouraged them to repopulate, their numbers had surged dramatically.
"I thought Nawaki was just a rare case… but it's everyone, isn't it?"
Akio looked at Tsunade.
"Have you found the cause?"
Tsunade shook her head.
"No."
Akio fell into deep thought.
"Diet, maybe?"
"They must've noticed too. They've probably tried medicine as well but it only worked for Nawaki." Tsunade's voice dropped.
Akio nodded slowly.
"I see. After the funeral, I'll investigate the cause myself."
"Maybe it's because Nawaki's constitution is stronger… No, I'll start with Dōzan."
The group continued on silently. By noon, they reached Konoha.
Danzo was already waiting at the gates. After Akio briefly explained the situation, he asked quietly:
"Do you have any way to heal Sakumo's arm?"
Danzo shook his head.
"Regenerating a lost limb is impossible."
Akio frowned, recalling the original timeline.
"Naruto's arm… it was made using Hashirama's cells, wasn't it?"
He eyed Danzo carefully. He didn't really believe Danzo had never experimented with Hashirama's cells. Perhaps he truly couldn't or perhaps he simply didn't want to.
"Forget it. I wouldn't trust him with it anyway. I'll have Sakumo visit the Land of Whirlpools and see if Yuna can craft a prosthetic. If not, in a few years… Orochimaru will surely have a solution."
Between Danzo and Orochimaru, Akio trusted the latter more.
Under Akio and Danzo's direction, Kenji was laid to rest in Konoha's cemetery.
The funeral was simple, attended only by Akio, Danzo, and the remaining Senju.
Akio personally carved seven new names onto the Hero's Monument.
Watching Tsunade and Nawaki support their tearful mother, Akio rubbed his temples in frustration.
Then he looked again at the less-than-fifty Senju still alive.
His eyes narrowed.
"Fine. I'll personally oversee your… repopulation. Until each of you has at least one child, no one's setting foot on a battlefield again!"
After a pause, he muttered:
"Right… where's that fat cat?"
He blinked, realizing.
"Still with Orochimaru, I think. Hopefully, it's still alive…"
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